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The History Of Cola
The Genesis
Before cola was what we know it as today—essences of vanilla, cinnamon, citrus, and other flavorings—its precursor began as a health tonic, comprised of coca leaves steeped in Bordeaux wine.
In 1863, French chemist Angelo Mariani, intrigued by the affects of the coca plant created and sold his tonic as Vin Mariani. The alcohol content extracted cocaine from the coca leaves; Vin Mariani contained upwards of 7 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine. Ads for the health tonic promised to restore health, strength, energy, and vitality.
In the mid 1860s, Vin Mariani peaked the interest of American pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton of Georgia. Dr. Pemberton read of the health tonic’s success in Europe and sought to develop a coca leaf-based elixir for the United States. One of his intentions was to cure morphine addiction, common to many including himself, during a time of few alternative painkillers.
Like many patent medicines during an era of minimal medical regulation, Pemberton also wanted to develop an exhilarating cure-all tonic for neuralgia, fatigue, pain, etc. He set forth to improve upon the original formula and introduce it to Americans.
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